Question for Rack Users

Hi guys, I just bought my two snakes some tubs to put in a small rack system and I wanted to ask about what temperatures work for you that you set your heat mats/tape to? The snakes I have are a corn snake and a ball python

well i believe my 4-shelf rack is melamine, and runs 1 strip of 3" heat tape. it holds it's heat pretty darn well; i only need to set my Herpstat to 93.5° F to maintain an 88-90° F hot spot.

i would not house a corn snake in the same rack as a beep, as their temperature gradient requirements are vastly different.

I don't know if it will be of any help to you, but I'll give you the specs on mine. I have a six bay rack from animal plastics of the large size (19 by 35" outside dimensions) The probe is under the floor of the second tub down. I ordered side and back heat to be sure I had enough heating capacity for the cooler weather here in the north.

I have my VE 300 set at 87 degrees, and everybody seems happy. I arrived at this temp by experimenting with different temperatures. If everybody was spending more time in the rear hides (warm end) I figured my temps were low and visa versa if they were in the cool end. I eventually ended up at this temp of 87 to get an even distribution. I just took some heat gun temps. Two snakes at the cool end were both 81.7. In the warm end, one was 87.8 and one was 87.6 degrees. Of the six BPs, four eat well - frozen/thawed, seldom refuse and sheds are clean. My male and female pied only eat live and not regularly, they have always been a source of frustration. Both are 2015's and are only in the 700 gm range.

For my ball pythons I use an ambient temp of 81F and a hotspot of 90F. I also have Kingsnakes in the same rack, I keep them at 81F ambient and unplug their hotspot, 81F across the whole tub.

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Originally Posted by ScottS

Of the six BPs, four eat well - frozen/thawed, seldom refuse and sheds are clean. My male and female pied only eat live and not regularly, they have always been a source of frustration. Both are 2015's and are only in the 700 gm range.

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What is it with Pieds? My most inconsistent eater is a Pied. I still love that morph but only 1 of my 3 visual pieds eats really well and that worst one skips 2 out of 3 meals like clockwork.

All right so I have another question. We're building a rack out of melamine and the snakes will be on two different shelves. Does anyone have any good tutorials on how to set up heat tape for different shelf levels?

The easiest way is the have one complete length of heat tape and feed from one shelf to the next. Pro racks have a groove cut out on the sides to accommodate that.

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Originally Posted by Bistem

What is it with Pieds? My most inconsistent eater is a Pied. I still love that morph but only 1 of my 3 visual pieds eats really well and that worst one skips 2 out of 3 meals like clockwork.

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Maybe it's a real thing, but my one and only (currently) is basically my garbage disposal. She would eat all day if I let her. :)